The Fray's lead singer brings a fresh perspective

PEORIA — Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray, wasn’t allowed to listen to anything but gospel music when he was growing up.

Fast forward a couple of decades. Now, he’s embraced all the music that he previously missed out on. And he’s carved out his own spot in music history as the leader of a band that has reached double-platinum status, a band that plays venues all over the world — including at Bradley University’s Renaissance Coliseum on April 30.

“I used to resent it really hard core that my parents kept me away from the good stuff, but it actually worked out in my favor,” said Slade recently by telephone from his home in Denver. “I didn’t know all the rules, what everybody else sounded like. I didn’t have that in my brain for 30 years. When I started listening to Counting Crows, Bush, Third Eye Blind, it all sounded so fresh.”

While most people discovered albums by the aforementioned bands in the 1990s, Slade was late to the game. Just a few years ago, he was walking through a record store taking album recommendations from the store owner.

“I was so embarrassed that I hadn’t heard any of these, and that this hipster was finding out just how sheltered I actually was,” he said. “But he was jealous of me that I got to discover them for the first time in adulthood.”

The band — made up of Slade (vocals and piano), Joe King (guitar and vocals), Dave Welsh (guitar) and Ben Wysocki (drums) — will kick off it’s spring/summer tour April 30 at Bradley University. After several U.S. dates, The Fray heads to South Africa in the fall.

It’s a tour in support of the band’s fourth album, “Helios,” but past hits still live. You’ve most likely heard popular hits “How to Save a Life,” “You Found Me” and “Over My Head” wafting through a mall sound system, or as background music in a restaurant. Slade admits the ubiquity of his personal art is a little unsettling.

“It’s a little weird,” he said. “I hear one of my songs and I’m thinking of the breakup that I went through (when I wrote the song), and I look over and some guy is scanning bananas in the grocery line.”

The band, which formed in Denver in 2002, has come a long way. In the beginning, the majority of the members were single guys living in their parents’ homes, trying to make a living in a very fickle business. Now, they have wives and children, a fan base that sings their songs word-for-word, and a fourth album that captures the “bright energy” they have at this point in their lives.

“It’s not an optimism, but a shining element to our life with new relationships and new babies, with a decade of music behind us and who knows how long ahead of us,” he said. “It feels a little more stable.”

Slade says the band will be fresh and full of energy when they start their tour in Peoria.

“These first shows out of the gate tend to be manic, on fire, with an energy that nobody can match,” he said.

The show starts at 8 p.m. with opening acts Plain White T’s and The Orwells. Tickets are $30 at Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets for students ($15) and faculty/staff ($25) are available at the Renaissance Coliseum box office.

For more information, call the Coliseum ticket office at 677-2625.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.